As the last days of Summer begin to cool down and we transition into the Fall season, we thought we would take a little time to reflect back on a unique culinary experience we had over the past couple of months and share it with you. This time we're taking you about six hours north of NYC by car to some wonderful locales in Maine and diving deep in to the tasty seafood dishes that have made the "pine-tree state" so famous.
For those who have not visited Maine, aside from all its gorgeous forests, it is most renowned for its rich and abundant supply of lobster. In fact, you could almost consider the bright orange crustacean to be the state mascot, since it is on one out of every four license plate designs and adorns the memorabilia of every local souvenir shop. Maine can put lobster on, or in, just about anything here and get away with it -- from macaroni and cheese to ice cream!
We'll reveal some of the restaurants and towns behind some truly delectable seafood dishes, and then share our take-away thoughts on what makes those meals so special.
Remember, many of the following dishes are very high in calories and are not meant to be consumed on a regular basis, or as justification for a particular change in diet. This is simply an opinionated (and slightly indulgent) exposé of an atypical, but delicious, dining experience of a beautiful, remote state.
Let's dig in to the first course...
Jumbo 3+ lbs Lobster
Primary ingredients - lobster, lobster, lobster... side of melted butter
Happy Clam Shack - Bar Harbor
This is the quintessential Maine meal, the poster-child of absolute decadence, where you say to yourself, "Yes, it was worth me driving nine hours just to eat this one meal." This is the same meal where you throw away the side of butter, because you know the calorie count is already going into the thousands just on the lobster alone. Aside from looking a bit threatening as a beast of a meal, the meat inside is actually very succulent and sweet. Apparently, much of the quality and taste of the lobster has to do with the shear heat of the gigantic boilers that the chef uses, located right in the back of his little shanty restaurant. No matter how hungry your eyes are at the beginning of this feast, you will probably feel that you ate enough lobster to last you till next year by the time you are halfway done with the claws. Even the antennae had meat inside!
Grilled Octopus
Primary ingredients - octopus leg, white bean pâté, garlic chips
Street and Co. - Downtown Portland
This simple little dish is surprisingly packed with huge flavor, which you'll immediately notice the moment you cut off a piece of that octopus' tender tendril and place it onto your trembling tongue. We're not quite sure how the chef manages to break down the fibrous and typically rubbery quality of the octopus into something so soft that you could easily cut it with a blunt fork. The waiter won't give out any of the restaurants secrets, but believe it or not, they don't use a pressure cooker like we'd thought. Balancing out the softer notes of the octopus are the spicy flavors from the garlic chips and the deep umami from the white bean pâté. The restaurant has such a boisterous and happening vibe that you really feel like you're in the middle of a European piazza while you're waiting outside to get in.
Lobster Roll
Primary ingredients - lobster, mayonnaise, New England-style split-top hotdog bun
Day's Crabmeat and Lobster - Yarmouth
Now you're probably thinking at this point, "I've had enough lobster in my life already, do I really need to spend an additional $27 dollars to put it into a 30-cent hotdog bun?" Well... yes, you certainly do want to indulge both your fancies and your tastebuds with this one. There's something about taking the raw cheap simplicity of slapping mayonnaise on a bun and contrasting it with the shear extravagance of a freshly cracked lobster claw that makes it all seem otherworldly and worthwhile. Sitting outside on a wooden bench by the forest while eating your sandwich, you can overlook a winding canal with storks and cranes flying overhead. If you really enjoy imbibing the scents and sights (and flavors) of nature, then this is a magical experience for you.
Lobster Ice Cream
Primary ingredients - lobster, vanilla-butter ice cream
Ben and Bill's Chocolate Emporium - Bar Harbor
So, what next can you put lobster into... How about ice cream? This is certainly not the flavor most chosen by the little children running around with rosy noses and scraped knees. We're not quite sure if this is the winner it is intended to be, but the "lobster" ice cream flavor is certainly an eye-popping attention grabber on the marquee of this candy shop in Maine. We had to zoom in real close in this photo to prove there's really large chunks of lobster here to validate the authenticity of such a wild claim. Is it worth it? Well... perhaps it would have been best to keep the lobster back in the bottom depths of the sea and leave the ice cream to flavors of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. It's an experience for sure. Perhaps, trying a sample size...
Kimchi Bloody Mary
Primary ingredients - kimchi, tomato juice, mixed spices, olive, radish
N-To-Tail - Portland
Don't worry, there's no lobster in this classic hallmark of the cocktail drink! However, it was quite creative to incorporate the spiciness of Korean kimchi into the tomato juice-horse radish flavor profile of the Blood Mary. The effect, whether taken virgin or otherwise, is really very delicious. We could not help but note how refreshing this drink was after a long day of walking around the sunny streets of Portland and listening to the omnipresent sounds of seagulls and shoppers bustling around. There's also some probiotic health-benefit from the kimchi too, if you're still looking for a reason to try this one of a kind drink.
All of these local foods are rich, hearty, and very delicious, but really should not be consumed on a daily basis. We thoroughly enjoyed exploring the seafood dishes that Maine had to offer, but when the time came, we were excited to return back to the US to our own well-balanced, home-cooked meals, filled with fruits and vegetables.
Bon Voyage and Happy Labor Day!
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